


Tie Me in Knots

by lucianlibrarian



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Awkward Romance, Awkwardness, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Cute Kids, Dorks in Love, Drinking, Eavesdropping, Embarrassment, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, M/M, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Second-Hand Embarrassment, Suggestive Themes, Tongues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:46:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25211104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucianlibrarian/pseuds/lucianlibrarian
Summary: Noctis and Ignis didn't understand why it was such a big deal to be able to tie a cherry stem in a knot with your tongue. They taught themselves how to do it in a night when they were kids. Now, years later, that knowledge is coming back to haunt them.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia & Ignis Scientia, Gladiolus Amicitia & Noctis Lucis Caelum, Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 16
Kudos: 69





	Tie Me in Knots

**Author's Note:**

> I blame [REDACTED] and [Foxlore](https://twitter.com/FoxloresArtDen), both of whom served as my Immoral Support Squad for this little bit of headcanon goofiness. Go support them! They rock!
> 
> Noctis is eighteen (18) in this story, so _technically_ he'd be drinking underage in Japan, but let's put the emphasis on _fantasy_ , eh? Trust me, everything's a lot more wholesome than you think. (And dirtier. And awkward. But mostly wholesome.)

“So, tell me about your date with that Glaive…what _was_ his name, anyway?”

“Gods, I don’t even _remember_ , but lemme tell you—his tongue is so talented, he could tie cherry stems in knots with it!”

The two night bakers giggle as they hoist trays from their proving drawers, gossip all the way to the ovens.

As soon as the room quiets, Ignis and Noctis crawl out of the dumbwaiter next to the pantry. A few furtive glances confirm what they already know: the area is deserted, and they can begin their hunt for midnight snacks.

Ignis clicks the stopwatch. “Okay. Fourteen minutes before we need to be gone.”

The young prince nods, shuffles over to the trays holding cream-filled pastries. His eyebrows knit in concentration as he sends one of them into the Armiger. “Hey, Iggy,” he whispers, “what were they even talking about?”

“Beats me,” Ignis says with a shrug as he tosses a bag of chocolate chips into his satchel. “I didn’t know they taught the Glaives _anything_ involving cherries.”

Noctis frowns. He’d heard about the stuff the Glaives learned—magic and warping and combat and strategy. Some of that he and Ignis were already learning, but his dad had said other lessons would come when they were both older. Maybe that stuff with their mouths was an advanced technique? “D’you think we should try to start learning now? Just in case?”

“Good idea,” Ignis agrees. “Go ahead and grab a couple of jars while I look for the cookies.”

* * *

Ignis pinches the stem off a bright red cherry and studies it. “You know, I bet the secret is—Noct, stop eating them all!”

“They’re so good in the puffs, though! You gotta try it!”

“I _did_ try it, and they _are_ good, but—” He nibbles on his cuticle, squishes his lips together like he’s just swallowed a slice of lemon. “I think I got it. Look.” He holds up his index finger. “Imagine this is your tongue. You know how you blow a bubble with bubblegum?” He wraps the stem vertically along his fingertip. “See? This _should_ give you the easiest position to create the criss-cross needed to fold one end into the loop.”

“Wait wait, lemme try.” Noctis grabs a fresh cherry and, after eating the fruit, carefully places the stem along his tongue just like Ignis showed him. His face contorts, mouth twisting and cheeks wiggling until—

“Look!” Noctis reaches into his mouth and pulls out a loosely tied knot, barely held together by the flare at the bottom and the nodule at the top.

The two boys stare at the knot for a few breaths before bursting into laughter.

“That wasn’t hard at _all_ , what were those ladies even talking about?” Noctis asks, his voice a high-pitched wheeze of glee.

“Just you watch, Noct,” says Ignis, plucking a cherry of his own out of the jar and holding it up like a tiny trophy, “I’m gonna be the youngest person _ever_ to pass the Glaive exam because I can do this!”

* * *

“I cannot believe,” Ignis grumbles, “you talked me into being your designated driver for this expedition, Gladio.” But of course he can. He’ll never admit it, but Ignis kind of _likes_ seeing Noctis tipsy. It reminds him of that state dinner where they snuck away with two bottles of sweet champagne, hid in Ignis’s office, and drank until they both passed out—nestled side by side—in their wrinkling suits.

It’s not the drunkenness he enjoys, of course, but the way Noct forgets. Forgets his anxieties and pressures. Forgets who he is. It’s like, for a little while, he reverts to the boy Ignis knew. _Then again, that lends itself to a whole separate set of issues_ , he thinks.

“Oi, Eos to Ignis!” Gladio waves his hand in front of Ignis’s unfocused eyes. 

“Apologies. You were saying?”

“I was saying you _owe_ me for that whole business with Mela.” He thumps his index finger into the tabletop. “You need to learn how to turn these women down. I’m getting real damn tired of having to field all your cast-offs.”

“In my defense, Mela didn’t so much ask me out as _demand_ —”

Gladio frowns, crosses his arms. “Oh, trust me, I know.”

A flicker of movement in the direction of the restroom takes the Shield’s attention away instantly. Ignis turns, and both watch as Noctis carefully crosses the bar, places a steadying hand on his chair, rotates it around, and sits with his chest to the back.

“I’m here!” the prince announces cheerfully, flopping an arm onto the table.

“We can see that,” Ignis says. Smiles as Noct traces stars into the condensation pooling around his glass.

“So, moment of truth.” Gladio leans forward. “Did you puke?”

Noctis’s grin is practically blinding. “Nope!”

“Good!” Gladio slaps him across the back. “Then you should be able to drink those for the rest of your life without any trouble. And on that note, how ’bout another?” He flags down their waiter. “Two more Infernian Cauldrons for me and my friend, and…”

“Another lime and cherry seltzer, please. And an extra glass of water.” Ignis shakes his head. “You are an absolute _monster_ , Gladio. You know that, right? These bomb shots are ridiculous, not to mention you’ve brought your prince out to a seedy dive barely fit for—”

“What’re you talking about, Specs?” Noctis interrupts, stealing a sip of Ignis’s drink. “This place is _great_! No one knows me, it’s real quiet—”

“It won’t be,” says Gladio, pressing a finger against Noct’s lips, “if you don’t learn to keep your voice down when you’re drinking. Ahh, our shots are here. C’mon, Princess, bottoms up!”

“Then it’s water for you so you don’t get a hangover.” Ignis doesn’t care how cute Noctis is or how much fun Gladio’s having; _he’s_ the one that has to deal with Noct in the morning, so they’re going to take a few basic precautions.

* * *

When the shift changes a half-hour later, Gladio eyes the incoming waitress and purses his lips. “Damn, look at her. Bet she’s the kind of girl who could tie a cherry stem in a knot with her tongue.”

 _Wait, where have I heard that before?_ Ignis wonders.

Noctis perks up, bobbling the water he’s nursing. “A cherry stem? Gladio, my bro, that’s _nothing_! I can do that! It’s sooo easy!”

In a flash, it all hits Ignis—the importance of the cherry stem, what the night bakers were talking about all those years ago, what Noctis is offering to demonstrate to Gladio this very moment. “Noct. No. _Highness_. No.”

“Specs, c’mooon!” Noctis’s frown is as dramatic as it is innocent. “You basically _taught_ me, remember? Look.”

Gladio’s eyebrows climb slowly as he glances toward Ignis.

Noctis shoves his fingers into Ignis’s glass to fish the cherry out. “The trick is, you gotta put the stem across the tip vertically like bubblegum—” He sticks his tongue out, carefully setting the stem and holding it in place with his teeth. “—ssstheeeee?”

Ignis slaps both hands over his face and slides down his chair.

Thanks to the alcohol, Noctis’s facial expressions are even more exaggerated than usual; his eyebrows fly up and down, and his lips contort and twist as he manipulates the stem inside his mouth. But it isn’t long before he delicately spits the stem into his palm, a tight knot smack dab in the center.

Gladio stares, unsure what to think, feel, or say.

Ignis is mortified.

“Tada!” Noctis cheers, grinning triumphantly. “Okay, Specs, now it’s your tu—hey, where’d all the cherries go? We gotta get some more.” He jumps up and waves his arms, sending the knot flying from his hand. “Heeeeey! Can we—”

A hand claps over Noctis’s mouth. “Shhh!” Ignis hisses, cheeks burning. “Sit down!”

Noctis looks up with shining puppy-dog eyes but nods, taking a seat and closing his mouth.

“So, Ignis,” Gladio purrs, propping his chin on his hand as he smirks. “Tell me _more_ about how you two learned about this _together_...”

Cherry-red and flustered, Ignis grits through his teeth, “Not. One. More. Word.”

**Author's Note:**

>  **Epilogue**  
>  _[Noctis and Ignis text the next morning]_  
> 
> 
> N: pls tell me i didn’t drunkenly show gladio how to tie cherry stems in knots with my tongue
> 
> I: You did.
> 
> N: i was hoping that was a nightmare
> 
> I: No, you absolutely did that.
> 
> N: he thinks you literally taught me how to do that with your tongue doesn’t he
> 
> I: Oh yes.
> 
> N: i’m so sorry
> 
> I: Not as sorry as he’s going to be.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Twitter: [@lucianlibrarian](https://twitter.com/lucianlibrarian)  
> Discord: starryfox#7213


End file.
